Tupac Shakur almost in 'Star Wars?'

Tupac Shakur auditioned for a part in "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" shortly before he was killed in 1996, according to former Death Row chief engineer Rick Clifford.

According to Yahoo.com, Clifford told 2PacForum that Shakur was up for the part of Mace Windu, which eventually went to Samuel L. Jackson.

"It's sad because 'Pac found out that I worked for Brian Austin Green, who was on '90210,' then he found out I was in some movies," Clifford said. "So we always talked about his film career and stuff. He was telling me that he was supposed to read for George Lucas. They wanted him to be a Jedi. I'm serious -- Samuel L. got Tupac's part. He called me 'Old Man.' He said 'Old Man keep your fingers crossed, I got three movies coming up. One of them I gotta read for George Lucas.'"

Rapper Tupac Shakur in 1993. (AP Photo)

The rapper happened to star alongside Jackson in the 1992 film "Juice."

According to Fansided.com, the timing was right. Shakur died in September 1996 and production of the "Star Wars" film started in 1997, meaning Shakur likely was still been alive when Lucas was auditioning actors.